Swordplay
by darkdoll25
Summary: Now, its a Yamamoto story. He makes a new friend from a great baseball player, but what happens when he suddenly crosses the line with the happy energetic girl?
1. Great Friends At First Meeting

Chapter 1: Nicknames

"Sorry, Tsuna! I can't come to the mafia meeting right now, I have baseball practice!" Yamamoto was very anxious to go, because there was this one player that had homeruns on almost every ball thrown at him and he wanted to see if he could break that record. He had thought of numerous ways of how he could beat him, but he decided that this wasn't him. He had to go with the flow, because he's the rain guardian for Pete's sake! He was doing his normal routine encouragement talks to himself and got pumped up and ready for the meet.

Yamamoto shook off his excitement and tried to walk in calmly, but seeing that nobody was there yet, he jumped up in joy. He would meet the rumored baseball hitter that was said to be scouted into the Japan Little League! This is going to be huge, he thought to himself chuckling. Then he suddenly heard laughter from the opposite side dugout.

"You are one weird dude!" A voice shouted out from the shadowed benches, unable to contain their laughter, they stepped up from the dugout. Surprisingly it was a girl, and not too shabby looking either. Yamamoto studied her, she had style he thought. With her ponytail brought all the way back, and wearing silver ringlet earrings with a mini-jacket over a striped shirt, she actually looks really good. On the other hand, he didn't care much for fashion and threw stuff on. Then it was her turn to study him, he wasn't that bad looking either. His spikey-ish hair and the happy face with a brown military jacket, skinny jeans, and a white graphic t-shirt brought out his handsomeness. They had acknowledged each other as formidable rivals. You see, when there are baseball players near you, you automatically know if you play baseball. It's just one of those instincts that people naturally have.

"So, you are the one I was supposed to test-I mean meet today?" Yamamoto stumbled and tried to hide in his laughter that a girl could beat him. Guys have pride, no matter how nice they are.

"Call me, Mikuno, and yes. I was the one you were supposed to get crushed by- I mean play with today." Smirking at her overconfidence huh, thought Yamamoto. She's got spunk alright.

They get into position and as the crickets chirp, the summer heat dawns on them making them slightly sweaty. But, nonetheless, they are extremely excited for this showdown. Both of them had heard really flattering rumors about each other and can't wait to see what each other is made of. So, Yamamoto takes the turn to pitch a normal ball to her, with an added twist. She gets up to the bat, concentrates a little, then surprisingly closes her eyes. The timing had to be JUST perfect in order to hit this out of the park.

_3…2….1!_

She swings, and the ball just keeps on flying towards the right field. Forgetting that this was just a test, she runs around the diamond giddy with happiness. Another homerun, and her hitting streak keeps on getting higher. Yamamoto laughs at her childishness, and throws the mitt to Mikuno, and nods to her that he is ready.

"Fast, curve, or normal?"

"The fastest you can ever throw."

She was pretty impressed at his words, but was ready for him to bite back. She leans way back with her arm ready to throw. Then, she gives it to him as fast as a jet plane. He's shocked for a millisecond, but composes himself just in time. He hits it, and to her shock it made it all the way out of the park to the neighboring city.

"You do have skills! Oh, excuse me! I never got your name!" She said sheepishly, her mother had raised her up with manners and she forgets the most important thing! How will she face her mom when she gets home today?

"Yamamoto. Call me anything you like!" He smiles blushing olike her normally would, but his blush was more deeper than that.

"Call me anything you want too!" She had just made a new friend, and she didn't want this one to go badly. Especially with this one, but she didn't know the reason.

"I'll call you Mikki-chan! It sounds cute, like you!" He waited anxiously for her reply. She seems hard at thinking, but then her face lit up.

"Then, I'll call you Yammi-kun! It's cute like you too!" Smiling like two idiots, they pat each other on the back and walk back to get ready to leave. She forgets to tell him something important, and blurts out, "I'll be going to your school, Yammi-kun."

"Wow! Really?"

"Yup, just got the papers done last week. So, I'll be seeing you in a few days after summer is over." She holds out her hand and Yamamoto happily shakes it, it was a beginning of a new friendship.

SCHOOL :D

"Did you see that beauty that transferred today?" All the boys were talking about it, and it made Yamamoto restless. He didn't like them calling her that, not one bit.

"Gosh, what's wrong with you today, Yamamoto?" He smacks himself irritatingly on the head, and looks out the window in frustration. He hadn't seen Mikki-chan at all today, even though he was her first friend. They had special privileges, everybody knows that!

"YAMMI-KUN!" A voice calls out from the end of the hall, he looks up expectantly. It's Mikki-chan! His spirits were lifted high up, and he ran to her. Suddenly, he lifts her up from the ground and twirls her in the air with her laughing.

"Let's do this all the time, Yammi-kun!" Then, she takes his arm and walks side-by-side by him.

Then he realizes something very important, he hadn't introduced her to his friends yet! What kind of first friend does this? Determined to make his Family meet her and become best friends, he drags her lightly to the roof. Mikuno was very excited of the friends Yammi-kun has, because he seems like the type to hang out with cheerful people. Well, only two of them were cheerful at least.

"Tsuna! Ryohei-san! Gokudera! Hibari (I know you are here somewhere)! Meet my new friend, Mikuno!" She bows flustered to finally meet his friends, which would be her friends from now on, too.

"So you are the girl he keeps talking about, like a happy-drunk idiot!", Gokudera exclaims. He then went up to investigate her, and approves of her immediately. Ryohei then comes bouncing towards them yelling to the extreme.

"WOAH! SHE'S PRETTY, YAMAMOTO! WHERE'D YOU FIND HER!" Always shouting out his thoughts, he never fails to make everybody laugh, except Hibari of course.

"Haha! You must be Ryohei-senpai!" Bowing politely was one of the main mannerisms, and Mikuno patter herself on the back for being polite. Ryohei was of course blushing to the extreme, to have such a pretty girl bowing to him was like a dream come true, TO THE EXTREME!

"I'm Tsuna!" Happy that they have a normal person, that's not part of the mafia or knows about it, was like a rare occurrence, Tsuna is determined not to let her go at any costs.

"I'll call you…TsuTsu-kun!" She waited for his response, and he seemed really flustered. Yamamoto cuts in saying, " I thought I was the only one you could nickname." He pouts in a childish manner, and then chuckles at Mikuno's guilty face.

"A joke! Haha, Mikki-chan, don't be all serious all the time!" Patting her very gently on the back like she's delicate made her angry.

"I'm not fragile, so please treat me like one of the guys.." Her smile was replaced with a slight frown and then she murmurs an excuse to leave. She hastily gathered up her books and hurriedly leaves the rooftop.

"Did..Did I do something…?" Yamamoto was extremely upset, she was his first girl friend that he had ever made! What could he have done to shatter the trust, no bond, that they had before? Then Tsuna and the others realize the drop in his mood, they tried to comfort him but he lashed out.

"Stop! YOU GUYS DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Then he stopped shocked that he actually yelled, he tch-ed and ran out to his next class.

"W-What's going on?" Tsuna said, while nervously while grabbing his hair and pulling them out frantically.

Ok, I decided to make this a chapter story, because it's going to drag on FOREVER if I let it be a one-shot. So, I will be back to doing LOVE CRUISE, since I finally stopped getting lazy, reading manga, and getting over my writer's block.

*Oh, forgot. In all my stories, Haru and Kyoko don't ever appear. (That's why Yamamoto said Mikuno was the first GIRL friend he ever made) They don't exist, I just don't like them very much. And because, ITS ALL ABOUT CHARACTERXOC OR CHARACTERXCHARACTER IN HERE, for this I might write a VERY LIGHT shounen-ai stories sometimes. So no girls sometimes!

**It's 1:57 AM, so I should really get to sleep. But, I stayed up all night to write this! PLEASE RxR! OPINIONS THAT ACTUALLY HAVE SOME MEANING TO IT, ADVICE, AND CRITISCM APPREACIATED! Just bagging on my stories and being extremely rude and not giving anything to help me improve is NOT.


	2. Son of the Pro

"Wait! Mikki-chan!", shouted Yamamoto as he chases the girl down the hall. She began sprinting in order to not get questioned of her personality. Just as he was getting close to her, she ducks into the classroom and tries to hide, but it was too late. Yamamoto saw her go inside the classroom and walked in gasping. He then turned around to close to door, and went back to face Mikuno.

"I'm sorry! Did..did I say something wrong?", Yamamoto said with puppy eyes. He had never been so distraught before, and never made someone ELSE feel that bad either. It was a whole new experience, and he didn't want to think about it ever again. His heart wrenched from the sight of her tears streaming down her face.

"No. Your words just brought back some painful memories." She laughed sadly, and asked if it was a shame for his friend to be upset over something stupid like that.

"It's not shameful at all. I mean if something like that happened to me, I bet I would be upset." He calmly walked towards her and wiped away her tears with his thumb. Then he made her promise to never be so upset ever again, if she could help it.

"I promise!" Then she suddenly hugged Yamamoto and he was surprised at first but hugged back. A new deeper relationship had just begun.

"By the way, Yammi-kun. I'm bipolar at some times, all my friends say I have an energetic and cheerful side, but then I would be a cool, yet ice cold to people sometimes. So, if I ever change personalities, don't take it to heart, okay?" she sighed as if this was a bad thing, but Yamamoto laughed and said that it was ok.

"Want to play baseball again?" She held out her hand waiting for him to take it, and when he did they burst out of the classroom with rumors already spreading like wildfire when people saw them together.

_Although, there was another problem arising…_

"EH? I need another activity other than baseball?" Mikuno looked in disbelief at the disciplinary committee leader, Hibari-kun. She seethed, hating the sight of him already.

"Do not yell, Mikuno-san. It is part of the rules, and you can't commit to only one thing, you have to broaden your horizons, you incompetent herbivore." He scowled back, telling her that they aren't in a good relationship at the very start anyways.

"Well, what do you suggest, Hibari-kun."

"You-nevermind. How about kendo?" He then took a paper from his drawer, filled out some blank spots, and gave it to Mikuno. She studied the document in her hand and thought that it was pretty ok.

"You know, you are pretty nice sometimes." She stuck out her tongue and strode out of the office with Hibari shaking his head and sighing deeply.

"If all girls were like that, I would be more entertained." He then blushed thinking of Chrome and then buried himself in paperwork to distract himself.

oOoOoOoo

Mikuno stared hard at the room that was supposed to be kendo, and took in a deep breath. She slid open the paper door and quietly walked to the front of the room. The captain was already waiting for her, and patted her on the back and whispered that it was going to be fun.

"Everybody! Attention! This is Mikuno. She will be a new member starting now."

"Please take care of me!" Bowing deeply, she went back to her normal position to find many boys blushing at her. She misunderstood and thought that everybody was angry that a girl would join. Trying not to direct attention to herself, she went and dressed in her uniform for kendo. Then she took out a bamboo sword that was on the cabinet and went to practice herself. She swung expertly and sliced and stabbed gracefully. Soon, everybody's attention was on her gasping that she was just a beginner. When she was finally done, she looked up to find everybody gaping at her. Then they broke into applause, talent like this was rare and an enjoyment to watch.

"You are really good, Mikuno-chan! I don't think I can teach you, maybe you should go to this dojo? He's a family friend, and I'm sure he would love to teach you." He then pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled directions to get there.

"Can you tell them ahead of time, that I would be there tomorrow afternoon?"

"Sure. His name is Mr. Yamamoto. He has a son that is very good with swords, maybe you can learn a lot from both of them?"

"Y-Yamamoto?"

At first, she thought of Yammi-kun but thought that it was a high probability. There were many Yamamoto's in the world so it couldn't just be him.

_The Next Day :D_

"Are you sure you gave me the right directions?" Mikuno was standing in front of a sushi restaurant, and since she was supposed to go to a "dojo", shouldn't she be standing in front of a studio?

"Oh, you must be in front of the sushi store! Yes, just go right in."

Mikuno hangs up on her captain, and calmly strode in asking for the owner. There were many customers eating there, so it was hard to maneuver through the ruckus. Then, when she tripped over a foot, she almost fell and got caught by an old man. She looked up and thought he looked really familiar to someone she knows.

"Are..Are you the owner? I'm Mikuno, I was told to come here to train my kendo."

The old man smiled, and gestured her to follow him to the back area of the shop. When she stepped in she looked around and saw many awards. She was stunned, was this man really a pro?

"Please excuse me, Mikuno-chan. I must tend to the store, but my son would gladly teach you. I'll call for him, just sit here and wait." Mikuno nodded and put away her stuff on the wooden cubby. She then took another look. It was dark, yet comfortable. Hardwork, sweat, and success omitted from the floors and walls. There were several awards for swordsmanship, and documents of history older than time itself. But, there was one plaque that caught her eye. The title was, "Official Inheritor of **Shigure Soen Ryu."**

"Eh? What's that?" Mikuno muttered to herself, it was a weird name. Shower In Late Autumn? What a queer name for a title.

"Mikki?" A voice called out from the doorway, she whipped around to find no other than Takeshi Yamamoto standing shocked.

"Yammi?" She was equally shocked, she didn't know that Takeshi did kendo too! She thought he was just a baseball nut, and nothing more!

"You do kendo? Why?" Panic crept up in his voice, he didn't want her to be hurt. Even if it is just training, she is just a girl after all.

"Hibari-kun said that I must do something else other than baseball my whole life. Then I joined the kendo club, and the captain advised me to come here to train more on my skills. Isn't it great?"

"It's dangerous! Quit, right now!"

"What?" Mikuno couldn't believe what was coming out of Yamamoto's mouth right now. He was opposed of her learning this beautiful art, just because it is dangerous?

"I'm sorry. It's just that, do you believe you can protect others if needed?"

"Yes." She said almost instantaneously, who wouldn't?

Yamamoto finally gave in, and told her to get ready in her stance. He wanted to measure her skills first.

They fought for 2 hours straight, and Mikuno wasn't wearing down just yet. Sometimes, you have to go all out, even against a so-called friend.

"You are pretty good. I'll teach you the sword technique that has been handed down from master to pupil. Since, I am the master now, you are the pupil."

"Thank you, Yamamoto-sensei." Yamamoto suddenly blushed at the name used for him, he always wanted to be called that.

They spent hours and hours and finally Mikuno perfected each one. She even developed the 13th stance that was powerful enough to knock back Yamamoto back a few feet. He felt really proud and kissed her on the spur of the moment. He backed up suddenly realizing what he had just done.

"T-T-That's all for today. Come back tomorrow. If you want." He said sheepishly looking at anything but Mikuno.

"I-I'll come. Bye, Takeshi-sensei." She then hurriedly gathered her supplies and got out of the dojo studio as fast as she could.

"Oh, Mikuno-chan. Are you coming back tomorrow?" The old man yelled after the running girl, he then wondered why her face was all flustered.

"What did my idiot son do to her?"


	3. The Truth Hurts A Little

"You can't be serious. I was elected to be your secretary?" Mikuno already despised Hibari-kun, but now she has to work side by side with him? It was like a nightmare-come-true. A horrible nightmare at that.

"It's not my decision. Student guidelines say that the secretary of the Disciplinary Committee can have a secretary only if elected to be. Of all my years here, no one elected one and I didn't really care. It's not my fault that your herbivore companions wanted you to be here."

"Ugh, fine, BOSS. What do you want me to do today?" She was ready to accept any challenge that was thrown her way. Especially by her archenemy, Hibari, well she was the only one to consider him to be.

"Just file the paperwork for all the clubs, and deny anything that has crowding in it."

"Paperwork, huh? Fine." She thought she would do something exciting, like punishing rebels or bullies in the school. But, paperwork? That kind of job was for weak people that can't do anything in their lives.

The rustle of paper could be heard throughout the room, and the silence was almost unbearable. However, Mikuno was (regrettably) indebted to Hibari for forcing her to join the kendo club which she loves now. It was all she could do to bear with the pressure and the "talk-if-you-dare" aura emitting from Hibari as he surveyed the yard from the window.

Gentle footsteps were heard from the hallway and were gradually making their way to the Disciplinary Committee door. Mikuno thought that nobody would dare come here unless for a very good reason, she decided to ignore it. But, the footsteps stopped in front of the door and the person opened it gingerly.

"E-Excuse me.." An innocent voice called out from the other side, and Mikuno noticed that Hibari instantly froze. It must be a girl he knew very well.

"Hello, who may you be?" Mikuno said in a very professional voice to the girl with the weird hairstyle that looked like a pineapple. It was a very cute, shy kind of girl. She was wearing a weird outfit that looked like it came from Kokuyo (I think I misspelled this xD) Middle School, and her stomach was shown. The only odd thing about her was that she had a eye patch with a skull picture on it.

"E-Eh..am I interrupting some work?" The girl replied sheepishly, her head bowing.

"Nagi, what are you doing here?" Hibari suddenly burst out then catching himself when he realized Mikuno was standing right there.

"Ah. I see, Hibari you never told me you had a girlfriend! Congratulations..heh..heh…", Mikuno said while thinking, "It'll be great to tease him about it later."

"Tch, what about Yamamoto then?"

"W-What?" They were both flustered and shouted out the names during the argument and then stared at each other in silence.

"Take that back, and I'll take what I said back." Hibari sighed and looked up at Mikuno's eyes.

"Sure. None of this gets out of this room got it? You too, 'Nagi'." Mikuno remembered that she was still part of the committee and bowed slightly at the blushing girl and walked out of the room. Then she spots Yamamoto standing at the end of the hallway talking to another girl. She suddenly gets irritated and argues back to Hibari saying, "You see? I'm not the ONLY girl he talks to!"

"Hey, Yammi-kun." She said casually while striding by, when she gets out of the school building she hops onto her motorcycle. Strapping on her helmet wasn't the fun part of riding a motorcycle, because once she clipped her skin on accident.

"It kind of hurts, too." She said while reminiscing the pain when she felt blood tricking down her neck and fainted because of the sudden shock. _It turned into a mass panic because the other people were shrieking._

"Mikki-chan! Wait!" A voice called out behind her and she tensed, why was Yamamoto chasing after her? He's just adding fuel to the fire and Hibari is going to tease her again about it.

"Yes, Yammi-kun?" She turned her head towards him and suddenly the wind picked up. She thrust out her arm in front of her arm and when she finally let down her arm, Yamamoto was in front of her face. Really close, uncomfortably close.

"W-What?"

"I've been wondering, why don't you tell me why you were crying that day? The full story."

"Get on." She said instead of replying to the question, she would try and distract him first and get him to forget about the question. It hurts too much, she doesn't want to say anything more. It wasn't the highlight of her life, and Yamamoto would certainly tease her for not..letting go.

They zoomed past the ocean, past the park, and past the houses. Finally after an hour of driving they stop at the pasture, Mikuno had to be far away. She didn't want anyone, not even a risk of ANYONE seeing her like this. Only Yamamoto can, because he sort of understands her.

"I once loved a guy."

Yamamoto tensed, at the word "love". Why couldn't it be directed towards him? Not another man.

"I thought he was the best boy ever, until I got into a gang fight. It was over a really absurd thing anyways, so my boyfriend did what guys did, he tried to save the girl. But, it turns out, I already punched out the last gang member standing and for some reason my boyfriend was really pissed. He told me that his friends were laughing at him saying that his girlfriend was stronger than him. I told him, 'Who cares?' and he replied bluntly, 'I do. I don't want my reputation to be lowered over something like that, so we are breaking up.' I couldn't believe what he was saying at first, then I realized. He was only a guy who cared about his appearances and what others thought about him, not me. I was truly heartbroken Yammi-kun, so I decided to kick his butt in a martial arts tournament. I won first place, and seeing him cry like that. I didn't want to admit it, but I felt proud. That's why I lashed out at you,Yammi-kun. Because, you said I was a girl and that I was weaker."

"I-I didn't know."

"What really hurt the most was that I thought he was my only and true love. Guess I was totally wrong, huh?" Yamamoto couldn't take it anymore, he ran up to Mikuno and embraced her.

"I'm here now, you don't need to think about your ex-boyfriend anymore. I'm here." _And don't let anyone else take you away from me. _


	4. Apologies and Texting

The day had been peaceful and the birds were chirping in the blue cloudless sky. Mikuno smiled at the thought of Yamamoto. In all her teens she had never met a boy who could be so understanding like him, perhaps he would be different from her ex-boyfriend. What would happen if he was her boyfriend? She felt no embarrassment when she thought of this, because it had never occurred to her before. All this calmness dissipated as Yamamoto approached Mikuno with a simple statement.

"I've been researching, Mikki-chan. And they say that technically men are just naturally stronger than girls." Yamamoto said to her and the very next instant Mikuno pushed him away.

"You. You are just like those people." She had turned into the ice queen and froze everybody around her. She knew it, boys could not be trusted. Heck, no male can be trusted at all. She thought he was different, but it turns out all animals are the same no matter what.

"Because I was a girl, you first opposed me joining the kendo club. Now, you are so stubborn that you have to go rub it in my face that I'm stronger than most of the boys here. And..And it's unfeminine!" She gasped, trying to take back the last words she was saying. Yamamoto freezes and realizes those were the true reasons why she was so upset all the time.

"Mikki-chan?"

"Don't call me that anymore! Yamamoto-san, good bye."

You could hear Yamamoto's heart breaking for miles. It sounded like waterfalls crashing on to the lake below, like an avalanche tumbling down a mountain, and for the first time in his life, he cried. He stumbled towards the school roof and stayed there till lunch time. It was only then, did Tsuna and the others found him sitting dejected.

"So I was saying-" Gokudera turns his head just to find a depressed looking Yamamoto. He ran up to him and yelled out if he was ok.

"Oi! Baseball nut! Oii!" Gokudera wasn't used to seeing Yamamoto like this, Tsuna didn't know what was going on. But he concluded it had to do with Mikuno for some reason. They were always together but now they are separate? This complicated relationship thinking was not suited for Tsuna at all. He then said exasperatedly, "Yamamoto-san, just apologize. I don't know what you did wrong but women like it when you say the three magic words. You were right."

Course his only experience with the opposite gender at all was his mom. (A/N:Remember? Kyoko and Haru don't exist in this world :D) This didn't make him the best advice giver for relationship problems, but if a friend is in dire help he will do whatever he can. So, he walked up to Yamamoto, helped him to his feet and pushed him in the direction of the door leading into the building.

Yamamoto searched everywhere for Mikuno and tried to remember which way she went. He ran towards the west and continued to pace himself shouting out "Mikki-chan!" over and over again. This feeling of making things right was the only thing on his mind, and then he remembered she was a very precious friend. You couldn't forget if you tried, she was just one of those shining people.

After running for a while, he hears fainting hitting sounds made by a metal baseball bat. Perhaps it was Mikuno? He gathers all his remaining energy and sprints toward the batting cage next to the soccer field. He quietly makes his way towards the cage just in case she tries to run away again. At first, he couldn't see her face very well, but when she bent down to drink from her Gatorade he could see she was crying. Her eyes were puffy, her nose was red, and she was just plain distraught.

Yamamoto hung his head in shame, he didn't deserve a friend like her. He shouldn't even be called a friend anymore, someone who makes a person they love cry like that doesn't deserve anyone. Yamamoto hits the cage in frustration and shouts out, "I'm SORRY! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I should've let it go after you finally told me. I don't want to be like your ex-boyfriend who thought women were weaker than men. You don't deserve a friend like me!"

"Yama..Yammi-kun!" Tears started streaming from her face, she opened the door quickly and hugged Yamamoto fiercely. She sobbed into his chest and murmured, "I forgive you, Yammi-kun! It's true I don't deserve a friend that's as nice as you!" They pulled away from each other and stared into their eyes and leaned in slowly.

"Yamamoto! There you were!" A voice shouted across the soccer field. They abruptly stop and let go of each other, thinking the same.

_What was I about to do?_

_ A-Ah-WHAT?_

"So?"

Yamamoto and Mikuno glanced at each other and turned toward Gokudera and replied at the same time, "So what?"

"Did you guys make up or what?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Yup.."

There was a minute of awkward silence as Mikuno remembers the embrace and Yamamoto remembers the almost kiss. They suddenly had flushed faces and muttered quick excuses to get out of there.

"I have to go do uhm something!"

"I have the same thing to do that thing. Yeah, I'll be going that way", Mikuno stuttered, her face in embarrassment mode. She took her leave and walked towards her motorcycle. After hopping on, she kept on thinking of Yamamoto. They were about to kiss, thank goodness Gokudera came in time. She didn't want to ruin their friendship, even if it betrays her feelings for him.

"..THANK YOU SO MUCH GOKUDERA!" Yamamoto exclaimed to his friend who was shocked of the sudden outburst.

"You're welcome! What did I do?"

"You just stopped me and Mikki-chan from.." He couldn't finish the sentence. If he said it out loud it would be real, better to keep it to his imagination.

"From what?"

"Nothing. I got to go, tell Tsuna I'm fine!" He jumped on his bicycle and rode all the way to his house where the store was full of people. He shouts out a greeting to his dad and ran quickly upstairs to finish his homework. After 4 hours of hard studying, he takes out his phone and messages Mikuno.

**~Yammi-kun~ **

Hello, Mikki-chan! ^.^

***Mikki-chan***

I didn't think you would still talk to me after what happened. I feel really embarrassed of what..almost was. .

**~Yammi-kun~**

I wouldn't hold a grudge like that! ^_^

***Mikki-chan***

Do u promise to tell each other truths from now on?

**~Yammi-kun~**

I don't get what u r saying, but yeah I promise.

***Mikki-chan***

Then what were you thinking when we almost..u kno.

**~Yammi-kun~**

To be honest? I want to keep on going.

Mikuno dropped her phone and clasped her mouth with her hand. Her face was burning up and she thought, "You didn't have to be THAT honest! Baka, Yammi-kun!"

**~Yammi-kun~**

What were u thinking?

***Mikki-chan* **

We'll..I have to tell you something tmrrw. Don't b l8. Something really important.

**~Yammi-kun~**

Alright. C u 2morrow, then. Night, Mikki-chan. …

***Mikki-chan* **

I'll b turnin off my fone. So I won't respond after this text. Night, Yammi-kun..

**~Yammi-kun~**

**..**_**I have something I need to tell you too.**_


	5. Who Could Forget You?

The clouds were finally parting after a light shower. It seemed like the sun was waking up by pulling the window covers away, and magically everything lit up when it revealed itself. Blue spots splashed across the happy, moist sky. However, not to Mikuno who was fretting in her mind while inside a diner thinking about what to say later on. An hour had passed since she arrived. Just sitting there in the empty diner booth at Café Navers.

She wasn't stood up or anything, she was just so nervous she came earlier than the expected time. Twiddling her thumb, she looked at the menu twice. It was just too rude to order without him there. Sighing, she looked to her left again at the passing cars and strangers. The day was pretty average with working adults going to work. That reminded her of an unhappy thought. Then, a bell dinged as the door was hastily pushed open.

"Mikuno! Sorry, were you waiting long?" Yamamoto asked ashamed, and shook water off his hair. It seemed as if he had been running through the rain as if it was a disease, but the truth was he loved the water. Mikuno stifled a giggle and stood up pointing to his seat opposite of her. She called the waitress and finally ordered her food, and Yamamoto followed suit.

The table was very reflective that day, showing Yamamoto's concerned face staring at Mikuno. As if time had slowed, she looked at Yamamoto and steadied herself. This was the only time to do this, or all is lost. She'll never get another chance.

"I have to tell you something, Yamamoto." She smiled shakily and took another deep breath. This was not going to be easy, Mikuno noticed. No one in her family had ever done this before. It was always the opposite party that did it first. Looking to the right the waiter was coming to deliver their food, she breathed out a sigh of relief. Looks like she can postpone this for a little later, for it was being quite awkward.

"Well, what is it?"

No answer.

Mikuno thought, typical Yamamoto; straight to the point and never beating around the bush. If only she could acquire that kind of courage, bravery, and that optimistic personality it wouldn't be as hard as it is now. Minutes passed with Mikuno numbly eating her food and Yamamoto eating it hesitantly. When they were done and coffee was delivered, Mikuno decided right now was the chance.

"I have shocking news and bad news."

"Alright, if you want me to choose. Tell me the shocking news first." Yamamoto said, as he tried to brave himself for the worst.

"…I like you, more than friends." She had finally said those three embarrassing words. When she looked up at Yamamoto, he was shocked but happy at the same time.

"I like you too, more than friends." He smiled happily, it was the first time he had ever confessed before. Mikuno was the only girl he had ever felt this feeling for anyways.

"This will make the bad news worse.. I'm sorry, Yamamoto. I'm moving away, tomorrow." With tears threatening to spill over, Mikuno paid for the meal and dashed out of the café.

"Wait!" Yamamoto called after her and bowed apologetically at the waitress. She had been hoping to take a picture with Yamamoto, because he looked like a model. (FAN GIRL SCREAM) He tried to chase after Mikuno, but lost her after a while.

At the meantime, Mikuno was sitting next to the water canal in front of her apartment. She tossed rock after rock into the water, hearing it splash. The rocks made mini-waves and it lapped up near her feet. She tucked in her legs, in an effort to stop herself from crying anymore. But, it didn't do any good. A few minutes later, she was crying her eyes out. Until her eyes felt as dry as the desert.

"Mikki! I was looking all over for you!" cried out a man's voice. It was Yamamoto running as fast as he could towards the girl. Eventually, he slowed down to a walk and sat next to Mikuno. She laughed suddenly realizing something, then her voice turned serious.

"If only you didn't like me back, Yammi. Me moving away to America would've been easier." Slowly, she wiped her eyes with her scarf that was hung limply around her neck. The world was doing her no justice. The sweetest, funniest, most cutest guy liked her back. And what did she do in return? Go to a foreign country, not coming back for a long time.

"You're right. It could've been easier."

Mikuno looked at him shocked, a little bit hurt.

"But, it wasn't my decision to lo-like you back. It just happened." He smiled sweetly at her, hoping she would understand that he was sorry.

"Don't apologize. I like you too, and that also just happened. Let's make a deal, Yammi-kun." It was for the best, to forget about each other.

"The time that I'm gone, move on. I bet you will find another girl, better than me. I'm sure." She felt pain when she said those words, but isn't it better for him to forget about a girl who's probably not coming back? Ever?

"What if I don't..?"

Sweet geezus! He was making it hard to make the deal, she almost wanted to break it off right then. But, the right thing must be done.

"You will. If you don't, then I'll give you a kiss. Then..then..we can start going out after that kiss. But, only if you don't move on. You can't force yourself not to fall for a girl."

"…"

Mikuno patted Yamamoto on the back and said encouragingly, "Alright, I'll give you a handicap. The girl you must love and for you to not get my kiss, is someone you love so much you will not hesitate to marry her. Your time for this deal is the time I'm gone. Deal?"

"Deal, if I win my bet to not love another girl to the extent of marrying her, then you have to give me my kiss, and my first date with you."

A single tear dropped out of her eyes as she smiled, grateful. Grateful for a boy that can understand what she's going through. Grateful, that she could spend these last moments with him, maybe for years. But, she swore to herself. She will come back, and nothing will stop her.

They hugged each other one last time, and Yamamoto left hesitant back to his home. The last time he saw her that day, she was opening the door to her home and going in.

As she was lying in her bed that night, she just remembered a single thought. What if he did move on and she came back when he already married that girl? Wouldn't it hurt her more? Mikuno then realized, she had made a promise with Yamamoto. She would not dare to break that promise; she smiled to herself and finally got some good night sleep ever since her dad told her they were moving.

_ The next day…_

The airport was extremely busy at the United States Airlines gate and Mikuno sighed exhausted. She had to wake up at 5 AM, to pack up her suitcase and ride a taxi to the airport. Her parents already left, and she was the only one that hadn't gone yet. For some reason, she had expected for someone to stop her from going. But, that would make it harder to leave her home country. Smirking to herself, she scoffed thinking that it would just be like in the movies where the guy stops the girl. Fairy tales never happen in real life.

"Mikki-chan.." Yamamoto finally made his way in front of the surprised Mikuno. She stuttered, "W-Why are you doing here?"

"Came to say the final goodbye." His face was pained with sadness, but he tried to smile through it. Like always.

"It won't be a final goodbye. I'll come back. But, forget about me in the meantime.."

"Gate 24F is now open! Please all passengers boarding to America, get on the damn plane! Thank you!" called out the flight attendant pissed for some reason.

Mikuno looked back at Yamamoto, who's cap shielded his eyes. It pained her heart greatly that she had to leave him like this. However, she couldn't do anything about it.

"Yamamoto..I.." She held her hand against the warm face, hesitant to take another step further. She yanked her hand away and picked up her luggage from the floor. It was time to leave Japan, but she promised she'll be back. She promised Yamamoto, and that was the only thing important to her since then.

A few hours later, Yamamoto was back in his room. He hadn't taken off his cap, and his face was quite dry. It was wonder why he didn't cry yet when Mikuno left. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he suddenly broke down. Tears streamed his face and he held up his hand in front of his mouth.

"B-Baka, who could forget a person like you..?"


	6. I'm Back, Did You Wait Long?

A/N: OH HO HO! FINAL CHAPTER BABIES! I would like to give out my appreciation to every one of you that reviewed and gave me advice! Please, just ask ANY question and I'll try to answer. If it doesn't spoil the ending ._.

Especially to these people I would give my acknowledgement for…  
>Amano Akira- Creating beautiful hot, non-gay bishounen 3<br>xAngelic- Reason: GIVING ME A WHOLE FREAKING LIST OF HONORIFICS USED BY THE PERSON TO OTHER PEOPLE. I totally LOVE YOU!  
>SweetzJunkie- Reason: For giving me help and advice on the hardest person to break down FRAN. I again, owe you to death.<br>Dashita Tichou- Reason: For giving me help on advice on what to do for Bleach one-shots. I know you probably won't read this, but I sincerly LOVE YOU!  
>No lesbian feelings intended haha. My total appreciation! And, if I had forgotten you PLEASE SEND ME A PM OR REVIEW for what you gave me advice for and the content! Thanks :)<br>_

A depressed man stared out into the sea of lights, and sighed heavily. On his mind right now, was the girl he desired most out of all the ones he had known.

"Mikuno. It has been years already, hasn't it?" Yamamoto asked out into the open sky.

The most beautiful view could be seen on top of the tall building, which that was where Yamamoto was looking at. As he stared at the city below him, he hung limply over the railings.

After Mikuno had left, they still kept in touch. However, after a year Mikuno had stopped emailing him often. Sometimes after weeks since he sent an email; she'll reply with just a few sentences.

Then, it stopped all together. After days of being worried that something horrible had happened to her, he realized it was a sign. He tried following her advice, to move on. There were countless girls over the years, and he dated the best out of them.

But, he always broke up with them. Not once did it feel right at all. The last girl he ended it with knocked some sense into him. She made him realize, that there will always be trial and error. If he had made it this far without finding the perfect girl, Mikuno was the one after all.

"Oi! Baseball nut! 10th wants to give us a mission."

Snapping him out of his thoughts and feeling dejected, Yamamoto follows after the prideful Gokudera towards HQ. Occasionally it would be some sort of assignments, but missions were rarely given out to Yamamoto, for he would always severely injure the target.

Suddenly, Gokudera stops and turns towards the tall athletic man. There was one thing that racked his brains around, and no matter what he would never come up with an answer.

"You still hung over than Mikuno chick?"

"..."

"It's been 10 years, man. Get over her. She'll probably never come back anyways."

"I know that fairly well."

He sighed and pushed open the doors leading to Tsuna's office. Upon entering, they noticed that Tsuna's girlfriend, Brit, was sitting on the couch doing finances.

"Hello, Yamamoto and Gokudera." She greeted happily.

"Good afternoon, Brit." Yamamoto sighed at Tsuna's recently found happiness when his was on another continent.

"Hello, madam!", Gokudera answered respectively.

Tsuna had been talking on the phone, laughing yet serious, but when he saw the pair, he slammed the phone down.

Coughing, he proceeded to talk. "Ok, mission time. Yamamoto you go to the airport. There is a very important client I want you to pick up and guard. Gokudera, you can help Brit with the finances. And one not, Yamamoto. Don't be so shocked that you won't come back. Now, get going!" There was a slight hurriedness in his tone that wasn't always present.

Yamamoto was puzzled about what he meant about being too shocked. This didn't happen normally for him. The mission was also strange too, for he was usually assigned for stopping crime rings; but escorting a client to HQ? That was unheard of. Gokudera was equally dissatisfied, he wanted to do more action but was stuck here doing accountant work. Looks like the 10th believes in Yamamoto more. Gokudera's mood dropped all time low at the lack of trust.

"Now..?" Yamamoto choked out, uncertain what this really meant. It certainly meant that the client has to be that crucial to whatever Tsuna was planning for the number one ruthless hitman in the Vongola to retrieve and guard.

"Yes, now Yamamoto." Tsuna said in an unusually demanded and strained tone. Fearing that he would use X-burner on him, Yamamoto quickly retrieved his keys and ran out of the office towards his Ferrari. (A/N: WAHAHA HE'S RICH :D)

Traffic was horrible as usual, and the swordsman kept on looking at the dashboard. The clock was ticking, and with every passing minute he was stuck on that freeway. Meaning an extra moment the important client is stuck waiting at the airport.

"…Tch…"

If only flying cars could be invented, then he could just zoom out into the bright blue sky. Of course, that will take another 3 more years; however, flying motorcycles are now being invented.

"Finally the traffic is letting up."

As he coasted his car into the lane to pick up arrivals, he searched for a special someone. After glancing around, he thought he should just get a board and write, "Vongola Client" in huge letters. That would certainly help to some extent.

"I'm here as the Vongola client." A familiar voice called out to the dazed Yamamoto. He snapped back in focus and couldn't believe his eyes. Right in front of him, in the flesh, was Mikuno. His one true love, Mikuno was just standing about 3 feet in front of him.

Uncertainly, he cautiously stepped closer to her just in case to make sure she wasn't a delusion. Reaching out one hand, he caressed her face and she smiled gently.

"Mik..Mikki-chan?"

"Hai, Yammi-kun..!"

In an instant, they were embracing each other. Comfortable in the other's presence, feeling their warmth for the first time in 10 years. It had to be fate just then, because they were finally together.

A few moments later, they were in the car driving hastily to HQ. Many questions bubbled up in Yamamoto's head, but decided not to ask until they were alone for a few moments.

"Tsu-kun!" Mikuno yelled out to the surprised Tsuna. He looked up and grinned from ear to ear.

"Talking on the phone a lot with you really got me to know you so well, even if I hadn't seen you."

"You are quite true, oh how rude of me! Haha, this is my fiancée, Brit."

"You must be the girl he talks so much about! Nice to meet you!"

Mikuno as usual, was her normal upbeat excited self. It had been a long time since she had gone to Japan her home country after all.

"Mikki-chan? Can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Uh, sure Yammi-kun!"

Yamamoto led her to another room without saying anything. He poured some tea for her and sat down on the couch. She sat on the opposite side and glanced at her friend.

"I have tons of questions, Mikki-chan." He said while laughing unconfidently.

"I'll try to answer all of them."

"But first, how did you even know that I'm part of the Vongola and that it even exists?"

"Well, after a year passed since I last saw you, Tsuna had been contacting me. He updated me on things, and your girlfriends. I was quite happy that you were able to move on and stuff."

Then she continued, "I knew you were part of the Vongola because well first Tsuna told me. And it was quite obvious when you wrote that sign, 'Vongola Client'."

Yamamoto was embarrassed for not noticing that fact, and then he proceeded to ask the most important two questions he could ever think of.

"Why did you stop contacting me frequently?"

"…I had school, homework, a job, and friends."

"Any boyfriends?"

"…Promise you won't freak out or anything?"

He nodded and waited anxiously to hear the next words to come out of Mikuno's mouth.

"25.."

Sitting there stunned, he looked to the side and muttered that he had 40. It wasn't that he was a player; it was just a very reckless attempt to keep his promise to try to move on. Then after a pause, Mikuno burst out laughing. She tried to catch her breath and started coughing. Taking another sip from her tea cup she then continued.

"This is fun, talking like this."

"I haven't been able to move on, Mikki-chan."

"Thanks, means a lot to me."

He looked at her expectantly and she gazed at him questionably, asking what the matter was.

"Can I have it now?"

"Oh..!" She said with a start, he had remembered that promise all the way till now? How sweet.

"Alright."

They got out of their chairs and walked towards the side. In the middle, they stopped and gazed into each other's eyes. With a slight hesitation, Mikuno slowly leaned in and closed her eyes for the impact.

Yamamoto grinned and pulled her closer to him, making the kiss more passionate yet long. Mikuno jolted her eyes open and stood there shocked. Then by each second passing, she came to realize.

He really did wait all this time, never able to find another girl to move on to. And in truth, she was hoping he wouldn't find another girl. That she would be the one.

Tsuna peeked in the room and smiled at Brit who was right next to him and kissed her too. There were times in life, that some people do have happy endings, and if it doesn't happen soon, it will later on in the future. You just have to keep on waiting, and working towards that happy ending.


End file.
